In and outs of the political campaigns, focusing on Michigan and Lansing, Tim Skubick will report regularly throughout the primary and then general election campaigns.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Rising Star Is Falling

Given the turn of events over the last six years, it is hard to remember that just after Jennifer Granholm was elected governor there was national chatter about her running for president and some big time commentators were even talking about changing the constitution so that the Canadian born rising star could do it.

My, my, how times have changed.Instead of a rising star in the national Democratic Party, Gov. Granholm enjoys a popularity rating right down there with President Bush, and she had to scramble to get any share of the national spotlight at the party convention this week in Denver.

Up until last Friday, she had no role at all.None. Nada. Squat.Now at least on Tuesday night in prime time she=2 0will get to show off her prowess on the energy issue in a national town hall meeting on the convention floor.It was an 11th hour overture from the Obama camp to show her some love because after all the Big O does want to win this state.

But it is interesting to note that 13 of her democratic gubernatorial colleagues will give speeches at the conclave.The governor gets to act like Oprah Winfrey instead.

Unaccustomed to the declining star status, this governor is not to blame for all of the polish that's been removed from her once rising star.Blame Michigan's ugly economy which steadfastly refused to turn around during her tenure and frankly shows no signs of doing it during her last two years in office.

But she will have to burden some of the "credit" for not doing as well as many hoped. The popular wisdom is, even in some democratic circles, that the bar was so high for her, that she could not fulfill the expectations and inde ed she has not.

They have not written the final legacy chapter, however, as she has time left to salvage something out of her eight years in office.

So for now she will give it her all on the national stage Tuesday evening, but when her performance is over, nobody back stage is going to whisper, "Hey, she'd make a great president some day."

About Me

Skubick has 38 years of covering Michigan government and politics, making him the longest serving member of the state capitol press corps. He anchors the weekly public TV series "Off the Record" and covers the capitol for WJBK-TV2 and WWJ NewsRadio 950 in Detroit. In addition to this blog, he writes a weekly political column for 24 statewide newspapers, including the Oakland Press, and he has written two books on Michigan politics. He holds the BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University and was recently awarded four Emmy's for his Public TV work.